How do you get rid of a wild raccoon without a gun?

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  1. Barbara Kay profile image76
    Barbara Kayposted 12 years ago

    How do you get rid of a wild raccoon without a gun?

    We have a raccoon digging holes in our lawn. Since we live in a subdivision, we can't shoot it. I've read that they carry a lot of diseases that our dogs can get. Any ideas how to repel them or get rid of them?

  2. profile image0
    Charles Hiltonposted 12 years ago

    We used to have a serious problem with raccoons in the crawl spaces under the buildings where I used to work. We would set squirrel traps with an open can of cat food in the middle and come back in the morning. Then we would take the caught raccoons to a nearby state park and release them. But, you have to release it at least three miles away or the raccoon will return.

  3. Barbara Kay profile image76
    Barbara Kayposted 12 years ago

    Charles, Thanks for your answer. Did you use box traps and can you purchase these at a hunting store?

  4. Au fait profile image82
    Au faitposted 12 years ago

    Call animal control.  Often they will provide the traps and set them for you.  You just need to call them if you catch something so they can come and get it and relocate it.  If they aren't willing to do that, they will still often let you borrow the traps, and then you would have to go and get them, sign for them, etc. 

    Check with animal control before spending money on what are likely to be expensive traps you may never use again.  Also, even though you would have to go and get the traps if you borrow them, animal control will usually come and get anything you trap.  Call them, ask questions about what they can/will do and what if anything you can/must do before spending money.

  5. sholland10 profile image85
    sholland10posted 12 years ago

    Well, Forrest Gump said his mama always just used a broom to shew them off the porch.  LOL 
    One night, my husband reached out to pet our cat on the deck when the cat jumped up, but to our amazement, it was a raccoon.  He came up every night and ate cat food on the porch with us sitting there.  It was kind of cool.  He finally got tired of our Dachshunds barking at him, so he stopped coming back.

  6. Silva Hayes profile image74
    Silva Hayesposted 12 years ago

    We live in the country near a lake.  A large male raccoon started coming up on our back deck at night and creating problems.  We bought a live trap and captured him.  My husband drove 51 miles west to a remote area with a river and released him there.  Several nights later, a female raccoon came around and we repeated the process.  Then, a juvenile raccoon showed up, and for the third time, we set out the trap and captured him and took him to the same area as his mom and dad. 

    Go to Google images and type:  Live traps for raccoons.  Our trap was manufactured by Pied Piper Traps in Fort Worth.  We bought it at Callahan's General Store.  The trap is 3 feet deep.  I recommend that you buy one if possible, and that you buy the larger one (3 feet) instead of a smaller one. 

    Based on our experiences, here are a few tips.  Place an old tarp or sheet under the trap before you set it; otherwise you may have some unpleasant stains on your porch or deck that are difficult to remove.  The next day when you have captured a raccoon, throw a towel or old cloth over the trap before you pick it up.  The raccoon should be transported in the back of a pickup if at all possible, and you should cover the trap with something before you drive away, to reduce stress to the animal.  Use caution when you release it. 

    Raccoons can be nasty; the female we captured was vicious.  Our friends who live in the city lost one of their cats to a raccoon.

  7. R2-D2-2 profile image60
    R2-D2-2posted 12 years ago

    I like to feed the wildlife, including the coons, even though I live in town.  Never had any coons dig holes in my yard.  Probably because I was feeding them. 

    Coons will dig to find grubs under the grass.  Maybe instead of trying to get rid of the coon you should treat your lawn to get rid of the grubs.  Grubs don't do your lawn any good either.  The coon wouldn't be digging there if there weren't any grubs to dig up.  They can smell the grubs and maybe hear them under the grass too.

    If you have grubs you will also eventually have gophers too, and spots in your lawn where no grass is growing because the grubs eat the grass roots and kill the grass.  Those places with no grass aren't usually obvious until fall. At first they are small spots that are hardly noticeable, but those spots where the grass is dead or where there is no grass will keep getting bigger if you don't get rid of the grubs. 

    You probably know that grubs are worms and in the case of the ones in your grass, they're usually white, and sometimes you can see them if you pull up some of the yellow or dead grass in your lawn.  Grubs will ruin a nice lawn.  Turn it all into weeds and sandy spots.  You'll end up having to reseed or resod.  You won't likely solve the problem of animals digging in your lawn until you get rid of the grubs. 

    Go to Google and put "signs your lawn has grubs" in the search box, and also check out what I said about animals digging up your grass to get to them.  Put "why racoons dig holes" in the search box.  Get rid of the grubs and you have your problem solved before it becomes a bigger problem.

    Coons can look so cute, and the big ones are pretty when they're healthy, but they can be nasty.  Don't know why you would want to mess with one yourself if animal control was available to take care of it for you.

 
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